The Audio Technica and Denon are closed-back (aka sealed) designs that isolate the listener from external, ambient noise, and both feature real wood earcups. People who listen in bed or in noisy environments tend to gravitate to closed-back headphones.

Headphones cannot deliver the dynamic wallop of tower speakers or the rolling thunder of even a modest subwoofer. When you listen to headphones, the sound is all in your head. It’s a more cerebral, less visceral experience.

According to Sennheiser, the HD 800’s 56mm transducer is the largest that you can currently find in a dynamic headphone. A larger transducer surface area allows for purer low-frequency reproduction but can create undesirable resonances at the diaphragm with higher frequencies. Sennheiser’s patented ring design is meant to minimize any potential distortion in the highs.